Crossroads: the remake
by Avandra the Mary Sue Slayer
Summary: "Some day, that wall is going to fall". Restart of Crossroads. Chapter 2: It begins. Titans West have a guest in the tower and Titans East have trouble ahead. Rated T.
1. The fall

**This will be the new start of Crossroads. I hope I can make the story better and solve the mistakes I made in the original one. There will be differences, but the essence will remain. I really hope you like it. About the OCs you sent me... they will appear in this story. Just be patient!**

**I have nothing more to say, so let's get started.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans, nor most of the OCs that will be featured in this story.**

_Chapter one: the fall_

Soft piano music could be heard throughout the room. Invisible fingers gently pressed the keys, bringing the newcomer a melancholic melody that he instantly recognized. It was his deceased wife's favorite, after all.

"Für Elise... I see you're quite good, Mr. Keller"

"I like to please my guests the best I can, Mr. Wilson"

The man called Slade Wilson wasn't complimenting his host's telekinetic musical talent, but rather his telepathic abilities. He already knew about them and so he had raised very powerful mental barriers, and while he was sure that all the sensitive information he possessed was safe, his shield didn't prevent that man from making a more specific search in those areas which were less protected. He made a mental note to be more careful, as he knew that his companion was using what he had found for his advantage, and would undoubtedly do it again.

And he did, even sooner than the villain expected. He offered him some very fine Californian wine, which he politely declined. He wasn't going to play his game.

"Well" the telepath finally said. "I supposed we should then start talking about business. That's the reason you're here, after all, am I correct?"

"Indeed it is" his guest calmly replied. "When you so kindly invited me here, you were talking about a possible association. As you may know, this is not usually what I do. Actually, I've had a few bad experiences with past partners a couple of times, so I try to be careful about it"

"I understand that perfectly" was the superpowered man's answer. "I, too, have suffered the consequences of trusting the wrong people. But I know for a fact that this association will benefit us both"

"Sorry if I sound skeptical about it, but I do need a guarantee" Slade answered, slightly narrowing his eye.

"I'm sharing my plans with you, Mr. Wilson, so know that when we finish, Jump City as we know it will disappear... but that doesn't mean there won't be nothing left for us to gain. There will be a whole world ready for us, a world over which you will have control... and the possibility to end the Teen Titans"

Then, the stranger closed his eyes and concentrated. A moment later, two women entered the room. One of them seemed to be in her late twenties, she was tall and had short brown hair, bright green eyes and fair complexion; the other one was a short, pale teenager with long black hair and pale blue eyes. Both were wearing a black spandex suit. He knew both of them; their origin was not a secret to him.

"Just the two of them are more than enough to make it possible... but there's more people working for me, as one can't be too careful" he said. "But these two are especially interesting for you"

Slade pondered his options. The man's offer was undoubtedly attractive, and those women would probably be really useful for his plans against the Titans. Still, it was dangerous to trust too much information to him. But then again, who said associates had to share everything?

"Please, tell me more about it. I'm interested"

Jump City at night offered quite a view. Especially if you have enhanced night vision. A green owl crossed the sky, silent as a grave. This was no ordinary owl, but rather one of Jump City's heroes and main celebrities: Beast Boy.

The truth was that little remained of a boy in him. His body had matured since he had arrived at the city, but what people didn't know was that his mind had changed as well. And not necessarily for the best.

Too much had happened in his life. Too many bad memories. His illness, the powers the cure gave him and the little control he used to have over them, his parents' deaths, his years as a thief; working for the foes who had kidnapped and enslaved him, his time with the Doom Patrol; trying so desperately to gain his foster father's approval and failing endlessly to the point of having to leave...

...and then Jump City.

He harbored good memories of the place, but he couldn't forget the bad experiences he lived there. Slade, Robin's betrayal, Terra's betrayal and death, which hurt even more... the Beast, whom he still could barely control, the end of the world; along with the thought of having lost the other girl apart from Terra that he had ever grown to love... and finally, Terra again, not wanting to remember... scrap that, not bothering to remember.

He had been through a lot. He had seen too much. What could people expect from someone like him? Apparently, just a jokester. But he was way more than that. It was ironic that the only person who could see that was the one who picked on him the most.

Raven.

It made its logic since she was an empath, but still, she had digged deep into him without much effort. Maybe, being as reserved as she was, she understood people better than anyone. Then again, she was probably one of the very few people who was willing to truly understand the others. It was one of the reasons why he had gotten close to her, even if they still argued like "an old married couple", like Cyborg put it. At first those arguments got him really mad, but for some reason he got to take a liking of them. He knew she meant no harm to him, and that her sarcastic remarks were some sort of twisted appreciation. In the end, she was the only one who truly respected him.

She was just a weird friend. And she'd probably never be anything more than that to him, as much as he had liked her from the very beginning and as much as his feelings never stopped growing. He guessed he'd eventually get used to it.

Beast Boy took a moment to pay attention to his route. He had gotten to the worst place in Jump City, he could get himself into in that moment: the hanging gardens of Jump City.

They had been made in the middle of Jump City park not long ago. It had been one of the things that had changed while the Titans were away during their missions against the Brotherhood of Evil. It was a beautiful place, but it wasn't exactly good to step there at night, when it was usually full of cheesy couples. The changeling had nothing against them, but it was quite sad to go to a place like that all by himself.

Still, he couldn't help setting foot there. He should be sleeping by then, but from time to time he had some difficulties to get to sleep. When that happened, he just went for a walk, and when he was done, he'd be able to sleep all night.

The truth was that the place was impressive. It was a circular building with eight intersections which were actually bridges that crossed their paths in the center. It could be accessed from four sets of stairs that pointed North, South, East and West each of them. As you walked across the structure, you could see all kinds of climbing plants and flowers from many different places. They were hanging from the walls, making the place look sort of enchanted. Besides, its location was a very good viewpoint for anyone who wanted to gaze at the stars. Since it was still February, only a few flowers had bloomed, but it was still worth visiting.

That was a good night for stargazing, indeed. It was chilly, but the sky was diaphanous and the stars shone bright as ever. Still, there weren't as many people as there would have been had it been summer. Beast Boy took the southern stairs and admired his surroundings. He walked discretely, as he didn't wish to be noticed. Luckily, the couples were too busy engaging in their own romantic dates to actually notice him. He wondered if being a couple meant they had to lose track from the whole world.

He kept on walking. It may be a beautiful sight, but it was lonely. Those people who kissed and embraced each other looked happy, as if the hurt they felt in the past didn't matter anymore. Would he ever get to feel that way?

There was no time for that question, neither for that answer. Someone was begging for help. He raced to the center of the garden, where the pleading voice came from, to find the most surprising view he could ever see.

Not bothering to think about the speech Robin would give him, he quickly pulled out his communicator.

It hadn't been an easy trip. Then again, it was no pleasure nor business trip.

He was in need, and the only person who could help him lived in Jump City.

They had been after him since a few years. He was an unusual boy, they said. He had power, they'd teach him how to use it. But he already knew.

The best way to use his power was to not use it at all. Or at least not the way they wanted.

He needed to find Beast Boy immediately, so he'd better head to the Teen Titans Tower.

The problem was that it was nighttime and he was exhausted from his flight. He'd needed to find himself a place to sleep. He passed next to the Jump City park. It looked nice at night. What wrong would he do if he just laid there and slept? It wouldn't be the first time he rested outdoors.

He carefully entered the park. It was dark, quiet and cold, but maybe he'd find a warm place to stay in a hollow tree. Then he saw the construction. It was made of stone, but had all kinds of plants and flowers hanging from its walls. Curiosity took the best of him, and he went on to explore the place.

It was a huge mistake.

"Guys, trouble! Come to the hanging gardens right now! Beast Boy out!"

In front of Beast Boy stood a woman in black spandex. She had made some of the climbing plants rise and attack two innocent citizens, who had been tackled by the flowers and now were hanging from them, their lifes at clear risk. The woman was laughing maniacally.

"So, do you want to play with me?" she shouted. Her voice was very high-pitched and sounded extremely annoying.

"You won't get away with this!" Beast Boy exclaimed before charging at her, morphing into a cheetah.

Suddenly, the earth started trembling. The woman made a piece of stone rise from the ground and she tossed it at Beast Boy, wounding him and making him turn back into human for a moment.

"_She's tough" _he tought. _"I'll have to fight harder"_

He morphed into a lion and pounced on the unkown foe, tackling her to the ground. She never ceased laughing.

"Hahaha, you're not so bad!" a cruel smile formed on her face. "But I know you can do better!"

A especially thick climbing plant emerged from the wall and hit Beast Boy, sending him away.

"Come on, you have to get serious" she cooed. "Or do I have to hurt them for you to do that?"

The vines that were holding the villainess' hostages came into view, only to startle Beast Boy even more. One of the hostages was a boy his age, the other one...

"TERRA!"

The woman frowned for a moment. Then, she smiled evilly.

"So you know her, huh? It would be a shame..." the vines snaked around the terrified girl's body, starting to constrict her. "...that something bad happened to her, wouldn't it?"

The vines pressed onto Terra harder, making her scream out in pain.

"STOP IT!"

The woman smiled, narrowing her eyes.

"Make me"

The changeling turned into a huge gorilla and charged. The woman was throwing him pieces of stone, she was making the plants hit him as if they were whips, but he wasn't giving up. Still, he was starting to get tired. Where in the hell were his teammates?

As if answering, the other four arrived. They immeadiately ran to their partner, making the woman frown again.

"Aw, five against one is no fun" she complained. "Of course I could take all of you down..."

She raised a giant stone boulder and conjured smaller ones that swiftly impacted on each of the Titans, knocking them cold. Even Starfire and Cyborg were taken down by the boulders, only that she had used bigger ones.

"...but then it would be too easy"

She put her two hostages down and went straight to the girl, who looked completely terrified.

"Hi, sweety" she said. "Why are you giving me that look? Don't be silly, I never wanted to hurt you, I just wanted the green one to fight hard. Don't you think it's boring to play against someone who's not giving all they can?" she paused for a moment. "Well, he sure was doing before his friends came to interrupt us. He must care for you a lot"

The stranger's chuckles were interrupted by a jet black doberman. It bit the woman's leg, making her scream in pain. The dog was quite vicious in his attack and the woman had to retreat. She didn't seem willing to hurt the animal, so she invoked a boulder, stepped on it and flew away with it. When she left, the defeated Titans stood up to see the dog turn into the male hostage. He was tall and lean, his hair was spiky and black and his eyes had an intense blue color. The woman's blood was pouring from his jaw and he was trembling. He looked scared.

"Sorry for not helping you earlier; the vines were constricting me and I couldn't escape until she lost focus on me" he said. "My name's Jake Mathews. Nice to meet you, Teen Titans"

"She got quite mangled"

"That's because he caught her by surprise. Besides, she has received specific orders not to hurt him in any way"

There was a moment of silence.

"Well, Mr. Wilson. You have heard my plans and you have seen a bit of one of my best employees' "know-how". What do you think? Do we have a deal?"

"We do have a deal... Mr. Keller" was Slade's reply.

***End of the chapter***

**I hope you liked this restart. As you can see, it'll be more focused on Beast Boy, as I initially wanted. It looks very different from the original story, but don't worry, you'll soon see the reminiscences. Those of you who hadn't read the original story, don't worry, this is a restart so you won't be missing anything.**

**I'll be seeing you. My next update will be for In The Blue Dark. Cheers!**

**Avandra.**


	2. It begins

**Here's the second chapter of Crossroads' remake. Enjoy!**

**Before I let you read, I would like to thank The Dark Wyvern for following this story, since I cannot send him/her PMs. I really hope you like my work!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans nor most of the OCs appearing on this story.**

_Chapter two: It begins_

The Teen Titans stared in awe at the pleading boy in front of them. Did he just morph into a Doberman and ruthlessly attack a woman that was probably one of the toughest opponents they had ever faced?

None of them was less surprised by Terra's presence. To hear Beast Boy talking about how she was attending Murakami High and pretending not to remember her time as a Titan was one thing, but having her right before their eyes was a completely different deal. Sure, they had seen how her statue had disappeared from its place underground, but the shock was undoubtedly greater when she was right there, not as a superhero but as a helpless victim of a psychopathic villain.

Robin was barely able to break the silence.

"Raven, check on them to see if they've been injured"

The girl obliged. After healing her green teammate, she turned to the mysterious woman's hostages. She approached the boy first, to find out that he was unharmed. He not only seemed to have Beast Boy's morphing abilities, but also the regenerative power he acquired some time after he first morphed into the Beast. She would think of it later, as she had some more work to do.

The girl in front of her backed off upon her approach. Raven sighed.

"It's okay, Terra. I won't bite. I just want to make sure you're unharmed"

"It's Tara" the blonde mumbled.

The sorceress rolled her eyes.

"Right, Beast Boy told us about your acting skills, but I'm sorry to say I'm not buying it... Terra" she retorted, finishing her empathic scan. "You're a bit bruised, but it's nothing I can't fix"

The other four Titans were taken aback by Raven's attitude. She indeed was treating that girl the same way she used to do with Terra, at least before they set their differences aside and became friends.

Again, it was Robin's turn to speak.

"Well, it's really late, so it would be safer if we took you two home"

"Oh... right" the boy called Jake said. "The truth is that I don't have a place to stay, I... kind of came to the city in a rush. I'd actually like to see you Titans tomorrow, because I came to ask for your help..."

Robin thought for a moment. There was no decent place for the teen to get into that late at night. There was only one option, but he'd take the measures required.

"You can stay with us. We have plenty of guest rooms"

And he wasn't lying. After defeating the Brotherhood of Evil, Cyborg made those rooms in case any of the honorary Titans came to visit.

"Really? Thank you so much, guys!"

Then, they all stared at the other person who had been rescued that night. Her eyes widened and she blushed, clearly uncomfortable.

"I... I don't think... uh... my place's really near, I can get there by walking in no time. So thanks, but... no, thanks"

Once she said that, she immediately left the park, leaving something behind. Beast Boy picked it up.

It was a butterfly hairclip.

The Boy Wonder watched her go, frowning. Should they follow her? Deciding against that, he headed to his motorcycle while the others got into the T-car. Soon enough, they were home, and a room for their unexpected guest was ready.

Just as Beast Boy was heading off to his room, he heard his leader calling for him. He groaned. He knew he was going to receive a nice speech for going out late when he was supposed to be sleeping. He went back to the common room, where Robin was.

"We'll have a talk tomorrow. About what happened"

Oh, well, at least he was going to let him get some sleep. After the fight against that mysterious woman, he was burst and more than ready to sleep the whole night with no problems.

* * *

The morning sun greeted Steele City. The Titans tower that proudly stood there was already having morning activity. The Titans East's leader, Bumblebee, used to be the only one who got up that early. That is, until now.

Two new members had been added to the Titans' family recently. Bumblebee herself recruited them. They had been living and working in New York, and while there were plenty of villains for them to fight in there, they also had a lot of hero rivalry. This was what led the Lehane brothers to accept the Teen Titans offer; their city wouldn't be left unprotected upon their departure. The Lehanes had curious roots, living proof of the melting pot that was New York City; their mother descended from Punjabis and their father was of Irish ancestry.

The older brother, Leon Lehane, had Fireian as his superhero name. He had inherited his father's fair complexion and his mother's black hair, but he had strange red eyes, just like his sister. The reasons for this eye color were unknown, as was the fact that both were born with powers. The only known fact was that he could generate and manipulate fire and heat at will. He was also a quick learner and a good strategist, making him a good acquisition for the team. He was tall and lean, though his training granted him some muscular tone.

The younger sister was called Jessica Lehane, and her choice for a superhero name was less obvious than Fireian's; she was called Scarlett, "because she liked her eye color". She had her father's brown hair and her mother's tanned skin. She was medium-height and had a nice figure, just like all female superheroes seemed to have. As for her powers, she was a technocrat with advanced computing and hacking skills. Apart from that, the girl could manipulate any computing device at will and materialize computer software into the real world, generating firewalls, virus and anything that might come in handy. While she wasn't especially good in hand-to-hand combat and her hyperactivity made it difficult for her to concentrate, the nature of her powers made her quite versatile.

Unfortunately, getting new friends meant new enemies too. The Titans East soon found a big boss of crime, a villain called The Necromancer. It had been a pain in the ass for some time, but lately all the scum in Steele City seemed to have become loyal to him, making it really difficult to catch him and doubling the heroes' work, as he organized everyone into committing crimes in his name. Today, Bumblebee decided a change in their strategy which she was discussing with Fireian.

"It's risky" he said "but maybe it could work. I still think we shouldn't do it yet"

"Then when are we going to do it? This guy has been terrifying the city with his goddamned zombies for over a month! I think it's now or never, Fireian" the Titans East's Leader impatiently replied.

"I'm not saying we shouldn't act, I just think we have to be careful... because if we do find his lair, do you really think he'd have it unprotected?"he paused for a moment and scratched his chin, lost in thought. "No, I think that we should first check how many foes we'd be facing, if they're zombies or hypnotized goons or citizens, and then decide if we need some extra help from other Titans"

Bumblebee harrumphed.

"Ha! I'm not gonna ask for help with a regular villain! We're heroes, for God's sake!"

"I wouldn't be so sure about him being a regular villain... not lately, at least"

"What are you implying?" the girl inquired.

"The Necromancer used to hypnotize people and invoke zombies to rob banks, in these eight months he's been here, he's never been into organized crime" the boy shifted to a more comfortable position. "I think that he's either planning something big, or working for someone else"

Bumblebee frowned. Fireian's theory did make sense after all. Moments later, she smiled confidently and put her hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Whatever the case, we're gonna stop him! I say that we do as you suggest, but in case we can take him ourselves, I'm not gonna sit and wait; we take him down!"

"Your call, boss" Fireian answered, laughing.

"Don't call me that!" the girl grumbled.

* * *

Somewhere, something was going down.

She knew it. She'd be there. It'd be her glorious debut. The Master would be so proud. She was excited and happy for the chance that he gave her to prove herself. To prove she was better than that scum that called themselves heroes. As if they truly were! The Master was the real hero, the one who saved people, not them! They were just a bunch of posh superpowered brats who couldn't care less about the ones in real need.

All she had to do was waiting for the right moment. The Titans East would never know what hit them.

* * *

The sun rays continued their daily trip until they finally arrived to Jump City. The T-Tower welcomed the sun and let its golden light get reflected on the crystal windows facing the already lively place that was Jump City.

As usual, Raven was the first to get up. She was sipping on her herbal tea when Robin came and greeted her. The tower felt good like that, so quiet, so calm.

"Robin"

The Boy Wonder turned away from his newspaper and looked at the empath.

"Yes?"

"I have a favor to ask you"

The young man smiled.

"Of course, Raven. What is it?"

"Don't be too harsh with him"

"Uh... excuse me?"

"Beast Boy" the girl sighed lightly. "I don't know what he was doing, but whatever it was I'm sure he didn't mean to do anything wrong. Not only that; it ended up being beneficial"

"I don't know why he was up that late either, but he's very aware that he shouldn't. Actually, there's something else that worries me..."

"You're worried that he was in the Hanging Gardens dating... her?" The empath couldn't bring herself to say the geomancer's name.

Robin nodded.

"Exactly. I'm worried that he might be upset with us. We not only didn't believe him at first, we also refused to help him get her back"

"We were facing the morphing creature and in fact we still don't know its origin; it's perfectly normal that we decided to focus on our duty. Besides, I recall that you became pretty upset about him not doing so" the half-demon bluntly replied.

"You're right... but I'm still worried that he might be engaged in a romantic relationship with her and that he refuses to tell us about it because of how we acted. What if he knows why she didn't come back? What if he...?"

Raven put her hand on his shoulder. Her stoic expression hardened for a moment.

"As much as I'm not a telepath, I know where you're heading, and if you do think that way about Beast Boy, then you don't know him at all" she hissed. Then, her face softened. "Trust him, Robin. He'd never betray us"

The boy nodded.

"I'm sorry. Ever since Terra I feel that I can never be too careful. You're 100% right; he'd never do that to us"

"Thanks for listening to me" Raven replied, smiling warmly.

"...But I'm still telling him off for staying up so late and sneaking out of the tower"

The girl rolled her eyes.

"You love to do that, don't you?"

"Someone has to teach him some discipline" he shrugged. "Well, I have to go deactivate the special security system"

"Special security system?" Raven asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I had Cyborg install it on our guest's room, just in case. It consists of a hidden camera connected to the TV in my room, and an alarm that will go off if he leaves the room"

"You're a paranoid, did you know that?" she scolded him.

"I know none of you understand my methods, but I strongly believe that it's better to be safe than to be sorry"

Soon, Cyborg was awake too. The tall man quickly started cooking his bacon. He was followed by the black-haired boy they had rescued the previous night.

"Good morning, Jake" Robin said. He had already deactivated the special security system.

"Good morning, guys" he answered. "Thanks a lot for letting me in, really"

"No problem. Why don't you have something for breakfast? The fridge's right there, you can serve yourself. When Starfire and Beast Boy are up, we'll all talk to you"

The scene that followed left the three Titans wide-eyed. The boy opened the fridge and saw some beef steaks in the refrigerator that Cyborg had planned on cooking for dinner. He growled slightly and took all of them, devouring them like a rabid dog, not even bothering to cook them.

After that, he burped loudly and turned to face the dumbfounded heroes. His expression suddenly changed to one of shame and embarrassment.

"Oh, no, I'm so sorry! I was hungry and the dog from yesterday took over"

"My beef steaks... my delicious beef steaks..." Cyborg moaned.

"I'll go wake up the others" Robin announced, clearly

uncomfortable.

After a while, he came back with a happy Starfire and an extremely sleepy Beast Boy.

"Well" Robin said. "I think it's time we talk to our guest. You came here asking for help, didn't you?"

Jake nodded, still looking embarrassed.

"There's an organization... they recruit superpowered people and train them, or so they told me" he started. "Two years ago, they came to ask me if I wanted to join them. You already saw how my powers work, so..."

"Wait a second" Beast Boy interrupted him, wide awake now. "How come you can morph like me?"

The black-haired boy smiled sheepishly.

"You don't remember me, do you?"

"What... you're saying that we've met before?"

"Actually... your parents and mine were colleagues. They had all studied Biology at the same university, and then they were destined to Africa to do some research. I got bitten by a green monkey... just like you"

Beast Boy's eyes widened. So that guy had also contracted Sakutia, and was cured the same way he was?

"My parents knew that yours had been studying the illness, so even though they weren't working at the same country, they rushed to see your parents and begged for them to cure me; they offered them a lot of money, and you know what?" he smiled sadly. "They cured me for free. They did warn my parents of the consequences the cure would have, but they didn't care. You know, your parents were really good people"

Beast Boy stayed silent for a moment. None of his teammates said a word, though they were surprised by Jake's confession. From what they knew, Beast Boy's parents were Elastigirl and Mento, from the Doom Patrol.

"Now that you say it... I think I remember playing with a boy who wasn't a native"

Jake smiled.

"And I didn't forget the green boy I played with! I had to stay there for a few days to fully recover from the ordeal, and then we left. It was still a while before... uh..."

Beast Boy's ears dropped slightly.

"I know..." Raven felt an overwhelming wave of sadness coming from the boy. She soon deducted what could be making him feel that way, but decided not to pry into it. He'd tell her everything about his past whenever he felt ready.

"Anyway, you should keep on telling us your story. So you got the same powers as me, but why didn't you become green... or black, since you turn into black animals?"

The boy shrugged.

"I have no idea, and neither do my parents. Maybe the cure just worked differently on me, who knows?"

"Okay... and then what happened?"

"Well, everything was fine and normal, until two years ago, when my parents and I came to the States" Jake answered. "It was when this weird organization, 'Omega', contacted me. They said that I was special, that I had power. They claimed they'd teach me how to use it, that I would do great things if I joined them"

"So what did you do?" Robin asked.

"I refused. I want nothing to do with my powers, they have never done any good" the shape-shifter answered with a hint of bitterness. "But they weren't giving up so easily. They insisted quite some times, they sent me letters, they emailed me... and then they started following me. They watched my every move. My parents were going to call the police when we saw..." he gulped. "T-the woman that attacked me yesterday... she was completely messing up our lawn, creating boulders and moving plants. Then she just left"

"Clearly, we couldn't stay there, so we moved away. But everywhere we went, as well as we hid, they ended up finding us. At first it seemed to take them a while, but for some months they have become really quick at finding us, so I decided that my parents and I should go separate ways. I couldn't let them in the middle of this, so I told them about you, Gar. Since you were a superhero, I'd ask you guys for help while they ran to a safe place. So I morphed into a bird and came here... you already know the rest"

"So you're asking us to protect you from this organization" Robin inquired.

"Honestly, after seeing what they are capable of doing I'm sure they can't be up to anything good"

"You have a point. After what happened yesterday, it's our duty to deal with them, as it's our duty to protect those in danger" the bird-boy answered.

"Oh, thank you so much! I owe you big time, Titans"

"There's one thing I'd like to know, though" the heroes' leader said. "Why do you refuse to use your power? It's obvious you can't control it, but under the adequate training you could overcome your animal instincts like Beast Boy has done"

"I don't think that's even possible for me... he has perfect control of them, while I still have to struggle against the animals inside me, after all these years..."

"But friend Beast Boy has been doing the training with the Doom Patrol since he was of a very young age, if I recall correctly" Starfire intervened.

"Star's right, dude" the green changeling confirmed. "Besides, it's not like I didn't use my powers at all before joining them. I don't think you were ever forced into using them like me"

"Now that you say so..."

"Why don't you train with us? We are all more than willing to help you" Robin said in a friendly manner.

"...as long as you don't eat all my beef steaks!" Cyborg chimed in jokingly.

"So, what do you say? Deal?" Robin asked.

Jake stared at all the people around him. There was Gar, who now went by Beast Boy. While he had met him as a kid, he wasn't that familiar with the green shape-shifter anymore.

Then there was Robin, the Titans' leader. Batman's former sidekick. Someone like him was offering to train him. It would be tough, but he was sure that he'd become strong enough to stand his ground against Omega Organization.

Next to Robin was Starfire, who was smiling warmly at him. He had heard about her alien origin, after all, the Titans West were famous throughout the States. He thought that she didn't look like a fierce, super strong alien at all.

There was also Cyborg, who was still mockingly mourning his lost beef steaks. The young man looked imposing, but once he recovered from the shock of losing his dinner, he showed an extremely friendly disposition.

The last person in the room was Raven. She was the mystery Titan, as not much about her was known. She had been silent all the time since he entered the room and her facial expression was indecipherable; there was no way for him to tell whether she approved of having him around.

Right then, the five of them were the only people who could help him.

"Alright, I'll train with you"

"Good!" Robin exclaimed, smiling. "We can start today unless there's an emergency. It will be an intensive training, since there's a lot you have to learn, so all of us will teach you a bit of our know-how. And who knows?" The boy wonder smirked. "Maybe you get to like it. If that happens and you do good, you could become a member of the team, but it's still soon to talk about that. Now, everyone, let's go to the training room; I'll tell you more about the training"

The training room hadn't changed too much over time. Some new machines and devices here, some new technology there, but the essence was still the same. There were some very realistic holographic projections for mission simulations, but Robin didn't seem to be willing to use them for the moment.

"You're going to train with Beast Boy first. It's really important that you learn to control your animal instinct if you want to use it in your favor"

Jake followed the green hero towards the center of the room.

"Alright, Jake! Right now, your animal instinct can easily rule your rational mind, so you're going to learn to impose your will. We'll do it this way: we'll fight in our animal forms - don't worry, I'll make sure I won't hurt you - and you'll try to resist the urge to counterattack"

"W-what?" Jake exclaimed "What if I can't control myself and I hurt you?"

The green changeling smiled confidently.

"Trust me dude, I have a perfect way to make you back away"

"Alright, are you two ready?" Robin asked.

The black shape-shifter sighed.

"I guess..." he answered before turning into a black wolf and charge at the green leopard running towards him.

* * *

Ah, the combats... it didn't matter that it was just a training and nobody was going to die, it was just so entertaining... so exciting...

Today, two of his three best warriors were fighting each other. They weren't as powerful as the other one, but they were far more loyal. It wasn't that the other girl wouldn't die for him, but he he knew that she could end up turning her back to him if he wasn't careful about his actions. Sure, he could hypnotize her as he did with many others, but it wouldn't be the same; it was never the same with superpowered people, as no one knew how to use their powers better than themselves.

But the Necromancer didn't have to worry about that. Not for now, at least. Besides, he had been given a very generous offer by someone in Jump City that could get him rid of the girl without her even having a clue of anything.

The fighters took their fighting stances. It was about to begin.

One of the girls was very pale, and had black hair and blue eyes. She was wearing black and red clothes, rather revealing, but she partially covered her face with a blood red kerchief. Her opponent didn't look like the fighter she was at all; she was blond and she had big, round, blue eyes and a baby face. Nonetheless, she was a deadly fighter despite not having superpowers. She wore a glittery suit and white boots. The first girl went by the name Black Moon and the second one was called Diamond.

Both fought fiercely, showing surprisingly high combat skills. Black Moon dodged Diamond's flying kick as if it hadn't been an almost impossibly fast move. The pale girl seemed to be floating on air and dodged all of Diamond's hits as if she was dancing. She finally charged towards the blonde, trying to scratch her with her unusually long nails that looked more like claws. Diamond evaded her assault and grabbed her arm, making a chokehold that threw her opponent into the ground. She then jumped on her, obviously trying to immobilize her, but the girl moved at superhuman speed and kicked Diamond right on her face, making her tumble down.

Everyone cheered Black Moon, except for one person. It was a girl who slightly resembled the popular fighter, except for her very tanned skin and her curvier body. She was frowning at the scene before her. She never liked Black Moon's fighting style, it was too vicious for her and she was too fond of it. Still, she was her teammate and she highly respected her despite the rivalry they shared.

Diamond was feeling dizzy. She couldn't understand how Black Moon could be so fast and strong, being as skinny as she was. Sometimes she thought that, weren't it for the fact that she wasn't decomposing, she'd mistake her for one of Master's zombies.

Ouch.

She had lowered her guard, and the red clad fighter took advantage of it. She had grabbed her hair and she had now punched her, right in her nose.

Everyone watching the combat seemed to be going crazy. Even the Necromancer was cheering loudly. Black Moon punched Diamond repeatedly, leaving her unable to respond anymore, not that the victorious girl seemed to care as she didn't stop her attack.

That is, until her whole arm froze.

Everyone, even the Necromancer, became silent as a grave. One person stepped into the fighting arena. She was short, she had black hair and ice blue eyes and she wore a white and blue outfit with icicle patterns. She also looked quite upset.

"That'll be enough, Black Moon. Put her down now"

The girl stared at her for a moment, and then broke into laughing.

"Or what, Icyhandra?" she spat. She'd always behave like that whenever someone who wasn't the Master tried to give her orders.

The girl called Icyhandra snapped her fingers, and the ice covering Black Moon's arm broke in pieces, wounding her.

"Well?" the ice blender inquired.

Black Moon frowned.

"Fine, I'll stop"

All confrontations between them ended up like that; Icyhandra would attack or threaten to attack Black Moon, who would coward away (as much as she always denied being afraid of her frenemy) and obey the girl.

* * *

Diamond woke up groaning. She was really sore, Black Moon really beat her this time.

"Are you alright?"

The girl grinned and soon regretted it, as it was painful to do so.

"Icy! Heck, I've seen better days" she chuckled lightly. "That bitch can fight, I've always wondered how she does it"

"You were holding back, she was not. It's just that simple" the tanned girl sitting beside the infirmary bed replied.

"Yeah... you could tell I'm not part of tonight's mission, she wouldn't have been that ruthless if I was"

"Whatever" she retorted.

"Hey, why are you so bitter?" the bubbly blonde asked while sitting up. "Come on, it was me who got all beaten up, not you! Sometimes I think you two should try to get along, you know"

"I do get along with her" was Icyhandra's reply "when she doesn't behave like a psychopath"

"She's just jealous because you're the Master's right hand, Icy. Give her a break" Diamond sighed.

"What!? Did she tell you that?"

"No... but it's not like she tries to hide it" Diamond giggled. "Anyway, don't give it too much thought. Deep down, she respects you. I'd even say she admires you"

Icyhandra got up from her chair and headed to the door with a dreary expression on her face.

"Then why do I always get the feeling that she'd tear me to pieces if she got the chance?"

* * *

Jake was getting tired. He had morphed into more than half a dozen different animals, and Gar didn't seem to mind the constant changes. Still, the animals inside of him urged him to keep on fighting, even if the green changeling dodged all of his hits with ease. Their will was too strong...

"No... You're not the ones in charge... I am!" he thought while morphing into a Fox Terrier. He then lay down on the floor in supine position, in a gesture of defeat.

The green chimpanzee that had been mercilessly charging against him without actually hurting him morphed into the green guy he knew. He offered him a hand, which he accepted. When he got up from the floor, Beast Boy smiled brightly.

"That was neat, Jake! For a moment I thought I was going to use him to make you surrender, but I see that you're learning to control yourself"

"It's still difficult... part of me wants to keep on fighting" he breathlessly replied.

"It's normal, we've been training for hours! But honestly, you've done well. I thought you'd keep on fighting until you faint or until I use him to subdue your animal instinct. I'm glad it ended up this way instead" Beast Boy replied, chuckling lightly.

"Him?"

The changeling seemed suddenly lost in thought, though he still had a warm smile adorning his face.

"You could say he's a friend of mine... it's the most primal part of me. He looks dangerous, but he exists to protect the people I care for"

Robin cleared his throat.

"Good job, guys" he said. "I think we can call it a day. Jake, you will train with Beast Boy every morning in order to keep you animal instinct on check. Raven will be helping you too by teaching you meditation. Once you have learnt to control yourself, you'll start training with the rest of us to control different aspects of your powers"

The black-haired changeling nodded.

"Thanks a lot, again. I'll do my best, I promise"

* * *

It was already night time in Steele City, and criminals started to step out of their hideouts. Each of the Titans East were in different spots of the city, trying to find one of Necromancer's allies. Soon enough, Bumblebee did.

"Okay guys, I think this is the real deal, the Necromancer's headquarters!" she whispered into her communicator. "I'll send you my position. Be discreet, and don't come too close until I give you the order. Bumblebee out"

She then shrinked into a much smaller size and flew into the building through a window. The sight that greeted her brought a victorious smile to her face.

The warehouse she was in was guarded, but not for too many people. There were some thugs bringing bags full of money and expensive jewelry that some zombies collected and took somewhere else, probably to store it until it was sold in the black market. In the middle of the place stood the Necromancer, who was watching his subordinates' moves.

Bumblebee got out of the warehouse and grew back into her normal size. Then, she took her communicator.

"Alright guys, you come now. There can't be more than twenty of them, if we catch them off-guard it'll be piece of cake. Then we kick the Necromancer's ass and recover the money and jewels, he's storing them here. Bumblebee out"

Not much later, the rest of the team appeared. They all were more than ready for combat.

"Come on, team" the Titans East's leader said. "Lets do this. Titans, GO!"

All seven of them charged into the building, immediately attacking both criminals and zombies, catching them off guard and defeating them effortlessly. They never knew what hit them. Bumblebee stunned them with her stingers, Speedy hit them with their arrows, either paralyzing or freezing them, Aqualad used the water from the pipework to throw them away, Mas and Menos ran around knocking down everyone on their way, Fireian burnt down the zombies and Scarlett materialized a Creeper that trapped the remaining thugs.

Bumblebee stepped to the center of the building, confronting the Necromancer. He was tall, well above six feet tall, he had a very muscular complexion that reminded her of a wrestler, his skin was pale and covered in tattoos that seemed to have messages in languages she didn't understand. His eyes were birght and deep red, and all he was wearing was a black cape with its hood up, a pair of golden shorts and black, heavy-looking boots.

"We have defeated all your goons!" she claimed. "Surrender now and we won't have to fight you!"

As a response, the villain broke into laughing.

"Oh, Titans, you are such fools! Did you really think I'd let you into my lair that easily?" the clapped his hands twice. "Let me introduce you to my right hand... her name is Icyhandra, and she will be your demise!"

Suddenly, all the heroes started to tremble and gasp. The temperature had dropped drastically and the only one who seemed unaffected by the change was Fireian. He looked up and noticed something falling from above.

"WATCH OUT!" he shouted.

The Titans barely dodged the giant icicles that fell down right where they had been standing mere seconds before. Soon enough, a second raid of ice crystals followed. One of them impacted on one of Bumblebee's wings, damaging it so she couldn't fly. She let out a cry of pain.

"Boss! Are you alright?" Scarlett ran to her side and invoked a firewall around both girls.

"Let's end this" Aqualad growled. He then summoned the water he had used before. He knew the attack was coming from above, so he directed it upwards. He watched it slowly turning into ice.

"Now, Speedy!" Bumblebee commanded from behind the firewall.

The redhead quickly readied his bow and arrow, aiming at the place where the water started to freeze, and swiftly shot. A hit and a grunt were heard from the distance.

"Alright, Titans" a female voice said. "If that's how you want to play..."

The villainess showed herself and immediately jumped down the ice column, sliding on it as if it was a toboggan. She was covering herself with an ice shield in which Speedy's arrow had gotten stuck. It became clear that it hadn't been easy for her to evade the hero's attack. She wasn't attacking the Titans, but she was smiling with confidence.

Fireian's eyes widened and he sprinted towards her.

"Quick, we have to stop her before she gets to the floor!" he shouted while launching a fireball at the giant ice column. If he could get her to attack him, it would be his friends' chance to defeat her. He didn't think that her ice powers could hurt him too badly.

He was both wrong and late.

With a surprisingly high speed she jumped from the column and threw some ice darts from her shield at the fire blender, making him cry out in pain when they pierced his skin.

She reached the floor.

It all had happened in mere seconds. Mas and Menos had just arrived next to his friend to check on him while the others got ready to attack their foe when she spoke.

"You all have fought bravely" she complimented them. "But this is goodbye now"

With her powers, she made the ice column fall over the shocked Titans. She felt herself levitating.

It was the Master. He had seen her success!

"Good job, my dear. Now let's get out of this place"

***End of the chapter***

**How about that cliffie? Are Titans East alright? You'll have to wait to find out! I'll be introducing more OCs, so you're finally going to start to see some of your buddies in my story. Please do tell me if I'm interpreting them correctly. Oh, and sorry about showing so little of Titans West, I promise there will be much more on the next chapter. And maybe some BBRae interaction? We'll see! Oh, and don't expect Robin to forget about his speech, Beast Boy was lucky to be so busy in this chapter, but he'll have to hear his leader in the next one!**

**I really hope you like this reboot. I will now update In The Blue Dark and I hope it doesn't take me too long. I'd like to post the chapter by the end of this week, let's see if I can!**

**See you!**

**Avandra.**


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